Flexible and resilient vehicle coupling



Jan. 14, 1936- L. E. LUBBERS 2,027,990

'FLEXIBLE AND RESILIENT VEHICLE COUPLING Original Filed Nov. 24, 1933 i.1- L 13 (A o II'IIIIIIIII awe/whom 11 i =1 Luzberz ELuZZers PatentedJan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES FLEXIBLE AND RESILIENT VEHICLE COUPLINGLubbert E. Lubbcrs, Stoughton,

Wis., assignor,

by direct and mesne assignments, of one-half to The New StoughtonCompany, Stoughton, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin, and one-halfFruehauf Trailer Company,

Detroit, Mich.,

a corporation of Michigan Original application November 24, 1933, SerialNo.

699,611. Divided and this application August 9, 1934, Serial No. 739,181

10 Claims.

This invention has to do with the art of tractors and semi-trailers andit relates particularly to such combined vehicles wherein they areconnected through the means of an articulated connection such as a fifthwheel structure. Such a fifth wheel structure may include a lower fifthwheel member on the tractor and an upper fifth wheel member on thetrailer, and the forward end of the trailer rests upon the tractor whenthe two vehicles are in combined operation.

One of the fifth wheel members may be mounted to its respective vehicleso that it may rock on a horizontal axis disposed transversely of thevehicle and such a member may constitute an inclined plane for elevatingthe semitrailer as the tractor backs into it in the coupling, and whenthe vehicles are in coupled relation it may assume a horizontal positionin abutment with the opposing fifth wheel member on the other vehicle.

The invention is more particularly directed toward an improved mountingof such a fifth wheel member. While such a fifth wheel member may be oneither vehicle it is shown herein as being mounted on the tractor. Aprincipal object of the invention is an improved mounting structure forsuch a fifth wheel member arranged to take up some of the shocks as mayexist between the two vehicles so as to cushion the shock action in sucha manner as to deaden or eliminate noises or clatter as the semi-trailermay shift fore and aft as regards the tractor. The invention also aimsto provide such a mounting so as to provide a cushion effect for sidethrust for the semi-trailer relative to the tractor and also theinvention is advantageous for facilitating the mounting of the fifthwheel member, particularly as regards lining up of the bearing membersupon which the same may rock.

The invention may reside in a tractor semitrailer fifth wheel structurewherein a king pin is employed and an improved king pin lockingstructure is provided.

Further, it is an object to provide means whereby if the trailer getsout of alignment with the tractor sufiicient play is provided to act asa hinge to enable the coupling to adapt itself to irregularities inalignment as well as to take up the shocks of too sudden coupling.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed outhereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention stillfurther resides in the novel details of construction, combination andarrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in thefollowing detailed description and then be particularly pointed out inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevation somewhat diagrammatic showing my inventionas applied to the lower fifth wheel of a vehicle coupler.

Figure 2 is a detail side elevation of my invention as applied to themounting of the bracket commonly used with a conventional type ofrocking fifth wheel.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the same looking in the direction right toleft in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

In the drawing, in which like numerals of reference indicate like partsin all of the figures, I represents a trailer frame and 2 a truck ortractor frame. These frames are coupled. together by means of a fifthwheel type coupler which consists of two units, an upper and a lowerunit.

My present invention may readily be applied to the mounting brackets ofconventional type rocking fifth wheels. This is illustrated in Figures 2to 4 inclusive, by reference to which it will be observed that 4represents the contact plate of the lower fifth wheel which has lugs 2|for the rocker shaft 29 that is mounted in the bearing portions 22 ofthe rocker shaft brackets. These brackets include the vertical webs 23and base flanges 24 set in rubber blocks or resilient cushions ofincompressible material 26 within the boxes 25.

The boxes 25 have removable cover plates 28 through which the cushionsmay be inserted and removed at,will and the boxes also have flanges 21by means of which they may be secured to the frame 2 of the truck ortractor."

Spacer washers 30 are used when necessary to compensate for variationsin frame widths.

It will be observed that with the construction herein disclosed theresiliency of the rubber blocks or cushions permits the plate of thefifth wheel mounted thereon to tilt at the angle required to lift andengage the pin which is a part of the other fifth wheel member. Thistilting effect in fifth wheel structures used prior to my invention isobtained by the conventional and patented types of fifth wheel throughcross shafts mounted on brackets to give the plate of the fifth Wheel ahinge effect and the rocking or tilting is limited to only onedirection, namely forward or backward or up and down longitudinally withthe tractor truck. In addition to this movement, the rubber blocks orcushions of my invention provide the necessary horizontal or cross upand down or rockin motion which a coupler or fifth wheel connection issubjected to when one wheel of the-truck or trailer drops into adepression or travels over a raised object.

The use of the flexible resiliently mounted fifth wheel member ormembers assures perfect alignment and a full contact surface between thelower plate 4 of the fifth wheel proper and the upper plate 3 and itspin 6 regardless of the difference imangle of the tractor and trailer atthe time of contact or coupling.

The most unfavorable criticism of the conventional type of fifth wheelin use prior to my invention is the impact at the time of engaging. Bythe use of my rubber blocks or cushions this destructive shock isentirely eliminated because the plate on the lower fifth wheel unit andthe truck-tractor frame are completely insulated by these rubber blocksor cushions and at no time do they permit a metal to metal contactbetween the lower flfth wheel unit and the truck frame. These rubberblocks or cushions are so constructed that the cushioning effect isconstant right through to the point of absolute connection, thus theimpact is no greater at the time of final connection than at the time ofthe first slight contact. The construction of these rubber blocks orcushions allows for the displacement of rubber as the pressure of thetractor becomes greater at the time of engaging.

Furthermore, through the resiliency of these rubber blocks or cushions,the plate of the fifth wheel which is carried by the web embedded in therubber is permitted to partially rotate or twist sufficiently to createa better alignment in the event that at the time of the engaging processthe pin of the other fifth wheel member is not directly in line with theguide slot on the resiliently mounted fifth wheel member.

The fifth wheel member which is resiliently mounted resumes its .normalposition at the slightest forward movement of the tractor. This functionis not possible to perform by the types of fifth wheels heretoforeknown, because the cross shafts are stationary and do not permit arotating or twisting action. It must therefore bring about suchalignment by lifting and sliding the entire trailer load into positionand this creates a terrific strain on the coupling pin while travelingon one side or the other of the guiding slot until the pin has entirelyengaged with the fifth wheel member with which it cooperates.

Further, after the tractor and trailer have been permanently connected,these rubber blocks or cushions act as a shock absorber while thetrailer is in operation, practically eliminating road shocks andvertical and horizontal distor-- tion of both the tractor and trailerchassis. This feature greatly reduces the wear on the tractor andtrailer and materially lowers the maintenance costs.

This application is a division of my application filed November 24,1933, Serial No. 699,611. In the present application I make no genericclaim to the common subject matter of my present application and theapplication Serial No. 699,611 aforesaid, as the broad claims and. thosespecific to the first embodiment'of the invention disclosed in theapplication No. 699,611 constitute the subject matter of said originalapplication.

What I claim is: t

1. The combination with a tractor and semitrailer. having cooperatingfifth wheel members for establishing an articulated connection, ofpivotally mounted supporting devices on a fifth wheel member by which itis supported on one vehicle, and means connecting said vehicle to 'thepivotally mounted devices including rubber elements for insulating metalto metal contact between said devices and said vehicle and bodilymovable with the vehicle.

2. The combination with a tractor and semitrailer having cooperatingfifth wheel members for establishing an articulated connection, pivotmeans for connecting one fifth wheel member to its respective vehicle,fifth wheel member supporting devices pivoted on said means, bodies ofrubber covering portions of said devices and movable therewith, andmeans on said vehicle for receiving the bodies of rubber in connectedrelation.

3. The combination with a tractor and semitrailer having cooperatingfifth wheel members for establishing an articulated connection, ofpivotally mounted supporting devices on one vehicle for supporting thefifth wheel member on said vehicle, said pivotally mounted supportingdevices including stationarily mounted boxes, metallic pivot carryingelements having portions projected into the boxes and rubber fillers forthe boxes in which fillers said metallic elements are fioatinglyembedded.

4. A means for mounting a fifth wheel member to a vehicle, said meanscomprising relatively stationary boxes located one at each side of thefifth wheel member, pivot bearing members flexibly and resilientlymounted within said boxes, said boxes enclosing incompressible resilientmaterial by which said pivot bearing members are insulated from theboxes against metal to metal contact, other pivot bearing memberspivotally cooperating with the first pivot bearing members, said boxesand said other pivot members adapted to constitute the mounting meansfor the fifth wheel member on the frame of the vehicle by which it iscarried.

5. In combination with the frame of a vehicle and a fifth wheel membercarried thereby, of means for mounting said fifth wheel member on saidframe, said mounting means comprising a pair of pivot members located ateach side of the fifth wheel, one of the members of the pair having aprojecting web, a box into which said web projects, a rubber flller forsaid box in which said web member is embedded, the rubber filler servingto insulate the web member from the box against metal to metal contactand fioatingly support said web member, said box and the other pivotmember of the pair being adapted for mounting between the fifth wheeland the frame of the vehicle whereby the fifth wheel will rock on atransverse axis substantially as shown and described.

6. In a fifth wheel construction, the combination with a chassis elementand a fifth wheel element, a pivotally mounted horizontal crossshaftlocated between the fifth wheel element and the chassis element, ahousing carried by one of said elements, cushioning means disposedwithin said housing, and a bearing member on said cross-shaft and havinga portion thereof disposed within said housing for free floatingmovement within said housing, said cushioning means serving to hold saidportion of said bearing member insulated from the housing against metalto metal contact.

7. In a fifth wheel construction. the combination with parallel chassiselements and a fifth wheel which includes a lower element, a hrizontalcross-Shaft located between said chassis elements and said fifth wheelelement, means for connecting said cross-shaft to the said chassis andfifth wheel elements, said means including a pair of spaced apartbearing members and a pair of spaced apart housings therefor, cushioningmeans disposed within the respective housings, said bearing members eachhaving a portion thereof disposed within its respective housing for freefloating movement, said cushioning means serving to insulate saidportions from said housings against metal to metal contact. Y

8. In vehicle couplings wherein is provided an upper and a lower fifthwheel coupling member adapted for cooperative connection, means to mountone of said fifth wheel members on one vehicle and means to mount theother of said fifth wheel members on another vehicle, at least one ofsaid means including a pair of stationary receptacles, webs of X-shapein horizontal cross section projecting from one of the fifth wheelcoupling members into said receptacles, and base webs connected to saidX- shaped webs and located within the respective receptacles, forfloatingly mounting its respective web in the receptacle, therebyelastically connecting an elastic means in each receptacle,

the coupling member with the receptacle. said elastic means comprisingcushions of rubber in which the portions of said webs are embedded.

wheel structures wherein is provided a lower fifth wheel member and anupper 5 fifth wheel member pivotally connected together; two connectedmembers, means to mount one of said members on the other. said meanscomprising a horizontal shaft, shaft supports located at each end ofsaid shaft rigidly secured to one of said members, on the other of saidmembers, in which said shaft is journall said means including portionsprojecting into said boxes, rubber means to space said portions fromcontact with said boxes and float said portions in the boxes withcushioned movement in any direction.

10. In vehicles, a fifth wheel mounting plate, means including a rockershaft on which said plate is carried, said means also including spacedbearing brackets for the shaft and incompressible resilient means forsupporting said shaft for rocking movement on a horizontal axis and forlimited movement in any direction, said last named means includingvertical webs of X-shape in cross section and a horizontal base web foreach vertical web, resilient incompressible bodies in which said websare mounted and boxes for containing and restraining the movement of thean incompressible resilient bodies.

LUBBERT E. LUBBERS.

